KIOSK MODE
Kiosk display mode for walls, TVs, and unattended screens
Festaboard's kiosk display mode turns a browser tab into a locked-down, always-on split-flap board. Add one parameter to your share link and the 6x22 grid takes over the screen with no chrome, no sleep, and live updates you push from your dashboard.
How Festaboard's kiosk display works
Every board can be published as a read-only public link at festaboard.com/b/<token>. To run it as a kiosk display, append ?kiosk=1 to that URL. The board loads with the site chrome removed, so all you see is the 132-tile grid across 6 rows and 22 columns, edge to edge.
The ?kiosk=1 flag changes several defaults at once. The flip sound is off, the animation drops to a lighter setting, and the page requests a screen Wake Lock so the display never dims or sleeps. Because the link is read-only, the screen just shows the board. You keep editing from your own dashboard, and the kiosk pulls those changes in.
Launch it in a fullscreen kiosk browser
On a laptop, desktop, tablet, or smart TV, open the ?kiosk=1 link and press F to go fullscreen. Chrome and most browsers also accept a --kiosk launch flag if you want the window borderless from the moment it opens, which is the cleanest setup for a fullscreen kiosk browser on a dedicated machine.
There is no app to install for the core experience, though Festaboard is also a PWA, so you can Add to Home Screen on a tablet and launch it like a native app. Sign-in for editing uses an email one-time code rather than a password, but the kiosk screen itself never needs to sign in because it runs on the public link.
Run an unattended wall display kiosk that heals itself
Kiosk mode is built for screens nobody is standing next to. The Wake Lock keeps the panel awake indefinitely, so a wall display kiosk in a lobby or an office stays lit without touching the OS power settings.
When you edit the board from your dashboard, the change is pushed to the kiosk screen in about a second, with no page reload. If the tab gets hidden or backgrounded for a long stretch and the connection goes stale, the page auto-reloads to recover on its own. That combination is what makes it safe to leave an unattended display running for weeks.
Match the animation to the hardware with ?anim=
Festaboard exposes three animation levels through a URL parameter. Use ?anim=full for the complete split-flap flip, ?anim=lite for a shorter flip with fewer steps, and ?anim=off to swap text instantly with zero animation. Lite is the default inside kiosk mode because it looks good while staying light on the CPU.
On a very low-power board, ?anim=off is the safest choice and keeps redraws cheap. Festaboard also reads the operating system's prefers-reduced-motion setting automatically, so a device configured for reduced motion gets a calmer board even if you do not pass an anim parameter.
Put the kiosk display on a dedicated device
For a permanent install, run the kiosk link on a single-board computer in browser kiosk mode. Festaboard runs on Raspberry Pi hardware from a Pi 3A with 512MB of RAM up to a Pi 5, as well as RK3568-based Android displays, so you can drive a screen for the cost of a small board and a cable.
This is the foundation for a digital signage setup: publish the board, open the ?kiosk=1 URL on the device, pick your ?anim level for that hardware, and mount the screen. From then on you manage the content entirely from your dashboard, and the device just shows whatever the board currently says.
What ?kiosk=1 turns on
Site navigation and controls are hidden so only the 6x22 grid fills the screen, ready for a wall or TV.
The page holds a Wake Lock so the display never dims or goes to sleep while the kiosk is running.
Kiosk mode defaults to ?anim=lite for a lighter flip, and you can override it with ?anim=full or ?anim=off.
The softer split-flap flip sound is muted automatically, which is what you want on an unattended screen.
Edits made from your dashboard push to the kiosk screen in roughly one second with no page reload.
If the tab is hidden for a long time and the connection goes stale, the page reloads itself to recover.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on kiosk display mode?
First publish the board and toggle public sharing to get a read-only link at festaboard.com/b/<token>. Then append ?kiosk=1 to that URL and open it on the screen. That single parameter removes the chrome, mutes the sound, lightens the animation, and enables the Wake Lock.
Do I need an account or the dashboard open on the kiosk screen?
No. The kiosk runs on the public read-only share link, so the display itself never signs in. You sign in separately on your own device to edit the board, and those edits are pushed to the kiosk in about a second.
Will the screen go to sleep during the day?
Kiosk mode requests a browser Wake Lock, which keeps the display awake for as long as the tab is open. This is designed for unattended screens, so a lobby or office board stays lit without changing the device's OS power settings.
How do I make the animation lighter on a weak device?
Add an animation parameter to the URL. Kiosk mode already defaults to ?anim=lite, but on very low-power hardware you can use ?anim=off to swap text instantly with no animation. Festaboard also respects the OS prefers-reduced-motion setting automatically.
What happens if the kiosk tab gets stuck or backgrounded?
If the tab stays hidden for a long time and the live connection goes stale, the page auto-reloads to recover on its own. That is what lets you leave a kiosk display running unattended for long stretches without checking on it.
Which devices can run the Festaboard kiosk display?
Laptops, desktops, tablets, and smart TVs all work, and so do single-board computers in browser kiosk mode. That includes Raspberry Pi from a Pi 3A with 512MB up to a Pi 5, plus RK3568-based Android displays.
Turn your screen into a kiosk display
Publish a board, add ?kiosk=1 to the share link, and press F. It is free, with no hardware required.
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